Satan – Atom By Atom

“Atom By Atom” marks the second album for the legendary NWOBHM Satan since their return a few years ago. The good news for fans of the band is that this album largely follows the path forged by their previous record. Many of the same types of melodies and rhythms that the band has used in the past appear on this record, almost to the point where “Atom By Atom” is simply an extension of the previous album.

Perhaps the biggest similarity this album has to the previous one in the production. The guitars still have that incredibly satisfying crunch that sounds distinctly like Satan (one listen to the opening riff of “Ruination” will make this incredibly clear), and they deliver a plethora of riffs and solos. Beyond the guitars, Brian Ross’ epic vocals are the other primary driver of the album. His voice is unmistakable, and he even still manages to throw in a few high-pitched screams (like the one that opens the record). The drumming is also on-point, with the tons of interesting fills, and an overall style that is a bit more laid back, giving all of the instruments room to breathe (the main riff of "My Own God" being a great example of this relaxed style).

The strange part of “Atom By Atom” is that even though the execution is spot-on, it just doesn’t have the same impact that “Life Sentence” did. Perhaps it’s because that album was far more unexpected, and especially given how authentic it managed to sound in 2013, it was a breath of fresh air. This album is more of the same, which is fine, but even the songs don’t stick quite as well. In fact, pretty much every song has a catchy chorus, and some solid riffs, but there’s nothing worth revisiting as often as songs like “Siege Mentality” or “Testimony” from the band’s last album. This album is a little more consistent quality-wise, but its highs are nowhere near as high. That doesn’t stop songs like “The Devil’s Infantry” and “Atom By Atom” from rocking incredibly hard though. It just means that this is a solid addition to their catalogue rather than a career-defining album.

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Highlights

"Fallen Saviour"

"The Devil's Infantry"

"Atom By Atom"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott 

Torchia – Ending Beginning

“Ending Beginning” is demo number 2 for Finnish melodic death metal band Torchia. Unlike their fellow countrymen, Insomnium, who are perhaps the leaders of the scene at the moment, Torchia largely avoids melodeath’s modern tendencies towards overly emotional, less chaotic music. Instead, the band comes from the school of groups like At The Gates who wrote music that caused absolute carnage, while still injecting melodic lead guitars. The title track sets the tone for this almost instantly, as the band launches into a high-speed thrashy riff. Later on in the track, the guitars shred and sweep along with perfect accuracy. About halfway into the song, things slow down for a short interlude, but the feeling remains quite different from the melancholic state that melodeath is currently obsessed with. It isn’t long before the band returns to their previous tempos to create a strong finish to the song. 

Though “Ending Beginning” is the best of the three tracks, the two that follow it are also solid. They’re not as good, but they display many of the same tactics: riff-driven, aggressive melodic death metal. Melodies come in the form of awesome harmonized sections (“My Land Shall Burn” has a great pounding example), as well as more technically dazzling moments. The band’s sound is propelled by a truly stellar production. This doesn’t sound like a demo, let alone one from a small band. In fact, it would be right at home alongside at Nuclear Blast or Century Media melodic death metal band (both in terms of production and quality). Nobody is fighting to be heard (bass included), and it doesn’t matter whether the guitars are playing on the lower strings or the higher ones, as it all sounds good. The most impressive thing about Torchia’s sound is that it is so professional. As a casual listener of this subgenre, if you had played this to me and told me it was Dark Tranquility or (old) In Flames, I would have believed you. That’s not to say Torchia apes those bands, but simply that their songwriting and sound is up to par with them.

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Highlight

"Ending Beginning"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott 

Insanity – Visions of Apocalypse

With 1994’s “Death After Death”, Insanity became one of many classic underground death metal acts. Though they’ve been around most of the time in some form or another since that release, they would not release another full-length until 2015’s “Visions of Apocalypse”. As much as I hate to admit it, I still haven’t tracked down a copy of their debut, so this release also marks my introduction to the band. My verdict is somewhat mixed; on the one hand, the band has captured the aesthetics of 1990s death metal perfectly, down to even the production. On the other, they lack any sort of unique identifying quality. This makes it difficult to discern amongst them, or the legions of other death metal bands out there. After several listens, “Visions of Apocalypse” has gone in one ear and out the other each time.

Insanity’s strengths are largely the fact that they’ve done this for a long time. Every riff is unabashed death metal, without a hint of compromise. Blasting is used, but not overdone. The rhythm section as a whole provides an extremely bludgeoning effort. Double bass is relatively consistent throughout the record, as you might expect. The solos are twisted, and the vocals are perverse. Again though, this is all par for the course for death metal. At times this release shows a lot of influence from early Deicide because of the strange leads (“Sociopath” being the best example). The lead playing is welcomed because the rhythm guitars are a little bit too muffled. It’s difficult to make out exactly what they’re playing, and while the cavernous production is appreciated, it is taken a little bit too far. The band did succeed at making “Visions of Apocalypse” sound like it was recorded in the 1990s, but they made it sound like an album that was restricted by its recording budget. This is unlikely to be the case with modern recording techniques, but the point is that this is an example of a record where trying to sound authentic ultimately hurts the release.

Aside from the production, “Visions of Apocalypse” has no technical faults. Even the most intricate parts are played with astounding precision. The vocals are standard in their approach, but aggressive enough to get the job done. Once again though, there is nothing to separate them from any other death metal singer. Ultimately however, the biggest problem with “Visions of Apocalypse” is just that there’s nothing to remember it by. You’re better off throwing on a mid-tier Deicide record, but if you really crave more death metal, this album is likely to satisfy you.

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Highlights

All/none

Final Rating

3.2/5 or 64%. 

Written by Scott 

High Heeler – Force and Finesse

Austria is not a country that gets a lot of love when it comes to metal, but they have a surprisingly deep traditional heavy metal scene. One such example is High Heeler, who has recently signed to Swords and Chains Records for the release of their first full-length album, “Force and Finesse”. This title perfectly describes the sound of the record. The force aspect comes from the energetic, aggressive riffs that dominate the album. The album is practically overflowing with riffs that hearken back to the NWOBHM, where bands pushed the envelope as far as they could without the influence of punk. On the other hand, the finesse aspect comes from a variety of different areas. The first is the production; unlike many current traditional heavy metal albums, “Force and Finesse” does not have a modern production, and the guitar tone doesn’t have as much low end. This naturally allows the lead guitars more room to breathe, creating a bouncier, less-precise sound (though still perfectly in time).

Another area where the finesse is evident is in the vocals of the fantastically named individual, Poison Poser. His singing is somewhat of a blend between the sounds of Cauldron and Enforcer (moreso the former than the latter). He largely stays in the upper range (without hitting the highs of power metal singers), but he doesn’t provide a ton of strength in his technique. This makes his voice somewhat mesmerizing, not unlike Jason Decay’s. It also gives the album a bit of a glammy vibe at times. That is not to say they’re a full-on hair band, but anyone who appreciates those bands will definitely find even more to enjoy on this record.

From a songwriting perspective, High Heeler is above many of their contemporaries. The entire record is quite consistent in terms of quality, but a couple of tracks stand above the rest. The first is “Au Revoir”, which excels due to Poison Poser’s strong vocal performance. The chorus is catchier than anything else on the record. “Au Revoir” also features tons of lead playing, and while it is not as flashy as something from a White Wizzard record, for example, it is equally tasteful. The other standout song is “Midnight Angel”, which is notable for the incredible riff that kicks off the track. It’s one of those “feelgood” metal riffs; not particularly heavy, but very effective. The remaining 7 songs offer up similar sounds, and ultimately make “Force and Finesse” a very enjoyable release. Though it has taken High Heeler a while to release their first studio album (having been around since 2000), they are sure to make an immediate impact in the metal scene!

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Highlights

"Au Revoir"

"Misery"

"Midnight Angel"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%. 

Written by Scott 

Antioch – Antioch II: First Strÿke

Off the heels of an excellent EP that was released last year, Canadian heavy metal band Antioch returns with “Antioch II: First Strÿke”. This shows the band take a distinct step forward both in terms of forging their own identity and their level of Judas Priest worship (somewhat of a contradiction, but it rings true on this record). From the opening scream of “The Strÿker Rides” (which is a great up-tempo opener in the vein of “Rapid Fire”) you know you’re in for something inspired by the Metal Gods. The band’s vocalist, Nicholas Allaire, has his own interesting mid-range voice that sounds nothing like Halford, but he also does an excellent job emulating the high-pitched, almost growly vocals that were prevalent on "Painkiller". Though the vocals are impressive, they would benefit from being mixed a little more loudly.

Musically, this album also follows the path of the Priest. In particular, the record is based around the “Screaming For Vengeance”/ “Defenders of the Faith” era, which was filled with incredibly hard-rocking riffs (admittedly there are exceptions, such as the "Painkiller-influenced "Venomspitter"). “Iron Serpent” is one of the best examples of this, as it is driven by a strong beat, alongside a catchy, anthemic chorus. This song is definitely the best on the album because it sounds like it was written to close out their live shows. In other words, it is high energy, easy to sing along to, and overall is a lot of fun. After these first two songs, the quality of the album takes a serious dip. Everything sounds passionate and competent, but the remaining songs lack the hooks that the first two songs had. “Enhammered” shows a lot of promise in the chorus because of the way it intertwines Allaire’s singing with backing vocals, but the remainder of the track does not stick out.

Another difficulty with “Antioch II: First Strÿke” is that the production isn’t the best. I’m no advocate of the loudness war, but this album would benefit from being a bit louder and better mixed. There are a lot of interesting things going on at any given time, but the production doesn’t really highlight that. This might even be a case where adding another guitar track or two to beef things up would make a substantial difference. Overall though, it does feel like the band has gained a bit of an identity with this album. Even though it is firmly rooted in the Priest-worship category, there are not many bands that emulate that 1982-1984 sound so convincingly, and with a bit of refinement in the production and songwriting, Antioch is likely to turn a lot of heads.

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Highlights

"The Strÿker Rides"

"Iron Serpent"

"Enhammered"

Final Rating

4.0/5 or 80%. 

Written by Scott